The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development recently gave the go-ahead to GreenArch LLC, a partnership between the Greenwood Community Development Corp. and Hille Foundation, to further develop plans for a 63-unit mixed-use development at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street.Reuben Gant, president and CEO of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, said plans for the development were spurred by the lack of affordable housing downtown.“Residential development downtown has been skewed to this point toward a high-income demographic,” he said. “We have always felt there was a middle market that was being missed, and now, with the completion of PLANiTULSA, there are the studies to prove it.”In fact, Gant said, this particular development has long been in the works. Gant had originally planned the units be located on the then-vacant lot now occupied by Oneok Field but traded the land with the Tulsa Development Authority for the current development site.The four-story, 86,268-SF structure, designed by Freese Architecture and ZigZag Urban Planning & Design, would contain 63 loft-style residential units, six ground-floor live-work units and 9,000-plus SF of commercial and retail space on the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street.Patrick Fox, principal at ZigZag, said in an effort to architecturally extend the Greenwood corridor the structure would acknowledge the design of the existing buildings but also be a distinctively modern structure.“For example, the first two floors are masonry, similar to what exists on Greenwood currently, but above will have an alternate material, which will be a metal skin of some sort,” he said.To observe existing downtown building patterns, developers pushed the building to the street and put 87 on-site parking spaces behind the building.Gant said the units, which will range in size from 700 to 1,400 SF, would be priced at about $1 per SF.“I don’t believe you can truly redevelop downtown without affordable housing,” he said.

Yes. SW Corner of Greenwood and Archer, right next to U-Haul. The North side of the building is going to have killer views into the Ballpark...South and West Exposures will have killer views of Downtown, and the East side obviously fronts Historic Greenwood Avenue. There will be community space on the roof with 360 views, and every unit has a patio.

Don't confuse affordable with cheap, fwiw. Brian Freese is the architect. We hired him because we wanted these to be creative, modern spaces, using inexpensive materials in creative ways...and to use an overused phrase, to be loft-like. Basically, good design, shouldn't necessarily cost you an arm and a leg. They flow well, with large living areas. They will have 8 x 6 foot windows, sliding doors in each unit and ten foot ceilings, so there is going to be tons of natural light, and no dark living spaces or bedrooms.

One unique feature are the ground floor live work units on Greenwood. The idea was to continue the Greenwood storefronts to the south, but allowing living space in the units as well...so they will be perfect home/office, home/retail, home/studio spaces...work in front, live in the back.

The floorplans on the spaces are under revision. I'll post when we get a little further along.

We hope to be breaking ground in spring. We have to finish the construction drawings, go through permitting, etc.

Don't get me wrong - I like the intent of the project. That design, however, just leaves me cold. Current "modern" architecture is not memorable and just seems to be inspired by Legos. It doesn't scream Tulsa and it really needs to, especially in that historic of an area.

I like it, its good to have something like this downtown that reflects todays architecture. The main thing imo, is where the building meets the sidewalk. That first level or two is what you will "experience" when walking by, and will really see when you drive by. The rest can be whatever. I like that they have kept with the brick on the lower levels and will indeed be interesting to see what they go with up high. But, imo, it would be fine to go with something that is less expensive on the upper parts, then add a few extra touches and details on the lower part and perhaps the crown, especially around the retail section.

I know I sound like a broken record, but some deco touches would be nice lol. And all that can mean is a few vertical or horizontal lines or a simple pattern under or over the windows in the brickwork to add a teentsy bit of extra interest at ground level. The great thing is that type of thing works perfectly well with contemporary design but gives it that "this is Tulsa" touch. Contemporary design is basically "almost deco" anyway. Add one extra line here and there and you have it. You could even do something just with the railing to give people that deco cue. It is after all "ZigZag" Urban Planning and Design, something of this nature could be a nice extra, but subtle, signature touch.

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